


2am Phone Calls

by alecsangryface



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-07-17 23:51:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7291165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alecsangryface/pseuds/alecsangryface
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sleeping at 2am is overrated anyway</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hints were given. Hints were received. This happened.
> 
> For Suhasini

By the time Alec had finished the paperwork he was forced to catch up on due to an unscheduled mission having to be carried out, it was late. The moon was high in the sky casting an ethereal glow on the dewy green grass that he could barely see through the glass of the window being illuminated by the artificial light from his desk lamp. 

He stayed slumped in the wooden desk chair for a few seconds after switching the lamp off and plunging the room into darkness. He was tired, too tired to do anything really but after the last time of falling asleep at his desk he was going to drag himself to a semi comfortable surface at least. 

Heaving himself up from the table, Alec groaned at the pleasurable feeling of his back realigning and the familiar ache of using stiff muscles. If it weren't so late he would have drawn himself a hot bath to sooth those aches. 

The Institute during the day was bustling, always moving, always at a level of noise that could be ignored but also not. It was noise that you could easily lose yourself in, unable to think of anything but the noise, but also a dull roar that was so loud that it was silent. It was the soundtrack to Alec's life, and to experience The Institute at a standstill was unsettling even after all this time. 

There were a few Shadowhunters still in the main room, some were diligently plugging away at managing the computer files, some were shedding blood and Ichor soaked gear wincing at harsh movements and the iratze's they now had time to apply. 

Alec watched the group that had just come back from a hunt, assessing their wellbeing in the most basic of ways. He wandered over when he saw one of the younger one’s sag against his partner. 

"Where are you hurt?" Alec asked the boy, Stephen he thought his name was, as he placed a steadying hand in the middle of his back. 

"Everywhere," Stephen groaned, sagging further under Alec's hand, "I think the Shax demon got a chunk out of my thigh." 

Alec nodded, glancing down at where Stephan had gestured, not reacting but surprised by the steady stream of quickly congealing red blood oozing from a tear in his gear. He made a mental note to get all the gear checked over in the morning in case there was need for a new supply. 

"The good news is this'll heal up in no time. The bad news is you're going to have to spend the night in the Infirmary." Alec informed him, trying to smile reassuringly, it wasn't that the infirmary was run poorly but rather no Shadowhunter would ever enjoy being in the infirmary period. 

Alec looked towards Stephen's partner, he appeared truly worn out but mostly unharmed. "You can spend the night with him, I'm sure Talyn will give you something to help you sleep." 

Talyn was the New York Institute's resident doctor, Alec had gotten to know her fairly well after years of Jace getting more banged up than they had anticipated on missions, but to be fair to him, Alec had spent just as much time in the same position as Jace. 

"I would stay with him anyway, he's my parabatai." The other boy raised his chin defiantly. 

Alec had no time to deal with unwarranted defiant gestures so instead he nodded, a small smirk playing at the edge of his lips and said, "well you better get used to being the one to carry your partner to the infirmary when you're exhausted." 

Alec picked up Stephen in his arms easily, he wasn't a large boy by any stretch of the imagination and lead the other boy - Charles maybe - to the infirmary. 

When they arrived Talyn was already set up with two beds, somehow knowing that she would need them, and tutting at the wound on Stephen's thigh. Alec only stayed long enough to see the two of them in good hands before he was making his own excuses to find his bed. 

In his room he stripped down to his underwear and pulled his phone out of his pants pockets to hit speed dial one. 

Magnus answered the phone with a quiet, "Hello, Darling." 

Alec felt himself relax just hearing Magnus' voice, every ache and pain disappearing under the smooth, rich tone of the way he said 'darling' like it was a prayer. 

"Hello, my love." Alec whispered just as quietly and just as reverently worshiping. He had never thought he would use endearments like he did, but with Magnus everything was different. He had given himself over to Magnus mind, body and soul so completely that it felt wrong not to remind Magnus of that fact whenever he got the chance. 

"It's two o'clock in the morning," Magnus said, still whispering but now through the special smile he had reserved for Alec's use of the words 'my love'. 

"I'm not coming home tonight." Alec sighed, running a hand though his already messy hair and settling back into his pillows, "Sorry for not telling you sooner, you didn't have to wait up." 

"Alexander, it isn't a problem." Magnus replied, they had had this conversation too many times to count before. "I'm just going to miss my big spoon." 

Alec could imagine the teasing pout on Magnus' face, the way he would bite his bottom lip before sticking it out wet and red, the way his eyes would sparkle in both challenge and adoration. It was a picture Alec wanted painted on the back of his eyelids. 

"Chairman will be happy to have his spot back." He teased back, already missing the warmth Magnus would have provided in their embrace, cuddling with a pillow didn't have quite the same effect on him. 

"Chairman will be disappointed that you didn't come home to fuss him." Magnus laughed, then paused for a second, "I will too." He confessed.

"I'm sorry." Alec couldn't offer him anything more. If he had headed home, it would have been almost three am before he got there which would not leave him with much time to sleep at all. "I'll take off work early tomorrow. Are you busy then?" 

Magnus hummed, “No. I only have one client to see and a lunch meeting. I should be done for around four." 

"I'll be home by four then." Alec replied resolutely. "I'll take you to dinner, promise." 

Magnus hummed affirmatively over the line again and then they both drifted to silence again. Alec broke the it first, "tell me about your day?" 

Magnus groaned, "it was horrendous!" Alec chuckled lightly at Magnus' dramatics but otherwise didn't interrupt, "I was asked to be a neutral party at a treaty meeting between the Seelies and the Werewolves, both groups that are incredibly stubborn." 

"They give you a hard time?" 

"They barely spoke, Alexander! I had to lead a treaty meeting that has virtually no impact on my life and honestly I hadn't done the reading for it. It was in shambles!" Magnus huffed. Alec could almost see the way he used his hands to accentuate each word, could almost feel the air chill from his hurried flourishes. 

"I'm sure you've saved them a lot of time in the long run." Alec tried soothing. 

"I deserve an award." 

"I know you do." He replied seriously. 

Magnus hummed matter-of-factly, the conversation dying out with it. As the silence descended upon the two of them again they listened to and took solace in the other's steady breathing, almost falling into rhythm. 

"Alexander?" 

"Yes, Magnus." 

"I'm really glad you called." 

Even after dating for so long, Magnus still made Alec's heart flutter and his cheeks flush with a pink hue with such words like it was the first time he had heard them again. 

"I can't sleep without hearing you." Alec paused, "Your voice is the best lullaby I've ever heard." He blushed again at his own words, hoping that Magnus found them profound. It sounded clumsy and wrong to his own ears, but Magnus had been better at knowing what Alec meant. 

Magnus' laughter was tinkling, light, carefree and easy. Alec would say every strange, vaguely creepy thought he had if it meant he could listen to Magnus laugh again. 

"Darling, you are the sweetest." Magnus sighed through the end of his laughter. 

"I love you." Alec confessed, his stomach flipping like it had the first time he had confessed his feelings for Magnus. 

"I love you, too." Magnus replied easily, just like he had the first time and every time to follow. 

"Get some sleep, my love. I'll see you tomorrow." Alec said. 

"You too, Darling." Magnus replied. "I'll dream of you tonight." 

He said it in such a way that Alec was sure he wasn't teasing, that he was sure Magnus was holding the arrow head pendant on the necklace Alec got him for their first anniversary and promising to dream of Alec. 

The dial tone in his ears was unwelcome and unwanted. Alec dropped his phone onto the night stand and settled himself further into his bed. He brought his right hand up to his face, caressing the black leather cuff Magnus had given him for their second anniversary and promising to dream of Magnus too as if he weren't a constant thought in Alec's mind. 

Maybe he didn't fall asleep until it was three o'clock, perhaps because every thought of Magnus brought a new wave of butterflies in his stomach, but sleeping at two am was overrated anyway.


	2. Next Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They talk about next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme tell you this is far from what I wanted to be writing but at least it's something.

Alec collapsed into his bed, still fully clothed and on top of the sheet, burying his face into one of the pillows, his smile so wide it hurt his face. He felt like a teenage girl with her first crush, and really the only difference between him and a girl like that was that he was a grown man in his twenties and this was technically his second crush. 

It took every single part of his two decades of built up self-control not to pull out his phone to call Magnus. They had seen each other barely an hour ago. 

Magnus had invited Alec back to his apartment for a drink after a long day of residing over the search effort for Jace, they finally felt like they were getting somewhere so the drink was partially in celebration, but mostly because they had been too caught up in the search to go out on a proper date for two weeks. 

Alec would never profess to having much knowledge when it came to dating or relationships at all for that matter, but he was confident that you were supposed to spend time together alone. Part of him felt terrible for being the one to pull Magnus into the mess but another part of him was overwhelmingly happy that he got to spend more time with Magnus.

Magnus had made them both elaborate cocktails complete with umbrellas and sparklers, with sparks that turned into tiny little kittens to chase each other around until they fizzled out. It was endearing when Magnus showed off his magic like that, as if he didn't know that Alec would find him the most compelling person in the world magic or not. 

They had sat on Magnus' couch facing each other, knees touching and talking for hours. They talked about their search for Jace but that soon got upsetting so Magnus had masterfully steered the conversation to books they had read. Magnus offered so many unique opinions about characters and themes that Alec could never have dreamed thinking about, but now that he knew them he had to accept them as law. 

Watching Magnus talk had been a lesson in body language. He used his hands a lot, clicking his fingers and waving both dismissively and invitingly, Alec had been captivated. He had a hard time dragging his eyes away from the show. 

But soon the time came where they were both yawning and could barely keep their eyes open despite their want to. Magnus had offered Alec the bed in one of the spare rooms and Alec had almost taken it.

Upon remembering this Alec pushed himself to his feet so he could strip off his clothes down to his boxers. He was tired, unbelievably so, but the excitement coursing through his veins just from being around Magnus had made him forget that. Magnus made him forget most things. 

He dropped his phone onto the pillow next to the one that had a permanent indent where his head fell every night. Then settled himself under the blankets, trying again to convince himself not to ring Magnus. But trying not to think about Magnus led to thinking about Magnus. It was a vicious cycle. 

He picked up his phone, opened it, then locked it and put it back down. _You don't need to call him, he's probably asleep, you left almost an hour ago._ He picked up his phone again and opened it to Magnus' number. It stared back at him accusingly, laughing at him for being so lovesick. 

_You don't need to call him._

Just as he was about to put the phone back down it vibrated in his hand, a notification popped up on the home screen. 

_Magnus Bane: Are you still awake?_

Somehow the stars had aligned to bring him good fortune. Alec stared at the notification until the screen went black. It spurred him into action. Barely seconds passed as he unlocked his phone, opened Magnus' number a pressed the call button. 

The sound of the call tone in his ear almost made him hang up immediately. The thought of hearing Magnus' voice instead made him stay on the line. 

"So you are awake then?" Magnus answered with. His voice crackled over the phone line, probably because Alec had dropped his phone in a puddle the week before and while it still worked the receiver was not in the best condition. 

"Yeah. I was gonna call before you text." Alec replied. Now that he could hear Magnus' breathing his heart started to thump back into a regular rhythm. "Are you okay?" 

Magnus sighed, "I miss you. I really wanted you to stay." 

Alec didn't know how to reply to that so he just whispered "I miss you, too." 

Magnus laughed suddenly "You don't have to say that if you don't mean it Alexander. I'm sorry for-" 

"I meant it." Alec cut him off. It was baffling to him that Magnus could think Alec wouldn't feel as strongly as Magnus did for him. Sure it had taken him longer to reach that point, but it didn't mean he didn't ache to be around Magnus. 

"I'll stay next time." Alec whispered before he had really thought about the words. He winced at how presumptuous he sounded. 

"Good." Magnus whispered bashfully. Alec bit his lip to stop himself from smiling, the irrational part of his mind told him if he smiled too hard Magnus would be able to hear it. 

"Promise there's going to be a next time." Magnus said. 

Alec blinked into the darkness, blurry shapes dancing in his vision from his exhaustion, he couldn't believe how desperate Magnus sounded. Magnus, who was the most desired man in all of New York - probably America too - was desperate to see him again; smugness was a feeling Alec could get used to. 

"I promise." Alec replied, and he didn't intend to break it. "Promise me there'll always be more next times." 

Now that he had held Magnus, kissed him, hugged him, breathed the same air as him, nothing could compare. He had nothing to compare it to, but he didn't need anything, he already knew. 

"I promise." Magnus whispered. 

Over the still scratchy reception of Alec's phone, he could hear Magnus' smile. It was a rare one, only used when he was truly caught off guard, but it was surely the most beautiful smile Alec had ever seen Magnus wear. His nose would scrunch up, his eyes would crease until they were slits he could barely see through and while he didn't show any teeth, his cheeks would get a light red hue to them from the pressure at which he smiled. 

"You know," Magnus said after a moment of just the two of them breathing. "A friend of mine once said nothing good happens after two am." 

Alec pulled the phone away from his ear to check the time. _2:01_ He blushed as he put it back to listen to Magnus. 

"Maybe that's when the best things happen." He replied softly. 

Magnus hummed, "maybe it is." He paused again, "Until next time then. Goodnight Alexander."

Alec almost begged for him to stay on the line longer, but a yawn hit him before he could even begin to. "Goodnight Magnus." He sighed instead. 

Never before had he hated the dial tone as much as he did right then. Never before had he regretted a decision he'd made as much as he had then. But _next time_ was such a wonderful thing to dream about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come talk to me on [tumblr](http://www.alecsangryface.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/alecsangryface) I desperately need friends.


End file.
